The Art of Conversations, formerly known as The Lost Art of Random Conversation, continues to help people connect with their fellow community members, and themselves, under the new leadership of Kyle Jason Leitzke, a fulfillment coach, ayurvedic counselor and friend of the series’ founder, Tom Karrel. The series is sponsored by the Garfield County Public Library District, which compensates Leitzke and fulfills the logistical side of things. His connection to the series happened when he first met Karrel in 2023.

“We hit it off right away,” Leitzke recalled to The Sopris Sun. “Part of the thing that stood out to me about Tom were the questions he asked me. Being in a similar field as a coach … receiving a really potent inquiry from him helped me go inward on myself and feel connected to myself more through connecting with him.” Leitzke continued, “He then told me about The Lost Art of Conversations series he was doing and I thought, ‘This sounds really cool. I definitely want to join.’ Once I had this draw and developed this friendship with Tom, while also respecting him professionally, I started attending the series.” 

Leitzke was drawn to life coaching through many life events which led him to seek mentorship in his youth and later become a mentor to others as he entered adulthood. At age 7, he lost his older brother, Ryan, who passed away after a hit-and-run car accident. While the tragedy rippled through his family and left a connective interpersonal wound, he was able to begin the journey toward healing through sports, specifically football.  

“I believe that shaped me to want to learn how to connect and have meaningful relationships with people. I was also bullied a lot as a kid. After the loss of my brother, I put on a lot of weight and [eventually realized] I needed to make some changes and go down a different path. I was able to channel that into sports,” he stated. 

Having made connections with his teammates, coaches and teachers in high school, the opportunity of continually making new and true connections expanded as he entered college at Sacramento State. He became that football team’s captain and offensive MVP, while also studying sociology and social psychology before going on to get a master’s degree in coaching at Ohio University. He coached football for about seven years and returned to Ohio University to counsel and advise undeclared students. 

The idea of coaching as a career spawned during a summer accelerated course he took for public speaking, which he described as a “scary yes” at the time. 

“I was on my own personal journey throughout all of this,” he said, and “I benefited from … a lot of people — mentors, teachers and coaches — and slowly built up the pattern of ‘I want this.’ It’s shaped from this shy, scared kid who was bullied and didn’t fit in for various reasons to finding beauty in asking questions to understand ourselves and connect on a deeper level.” 

Since Karrel left the Valley, Leitzke has led the series on the first Sunday of every month since September of 2024. While many of the original methods and techniques implemented at the series’ conception remain, Leitzke has entwined the concept of the “scary yes.” 

“A saying I like to inspire and encourage myself and my clients with is: ‘Follow the fear to freedom and fulfillment.’ I like the acronym of FEAR, being: Future Expectation Appearing Real. And we can respond by either Forgetting Experience And Running or Facing Experience And Rising. One provides safety, and one provides growth. It’s our opportunity to choose what is most empowering for us in the given experience,” he stated. 

According to Leitzke, the series has seen a good mix of repeat attendees and new people. He is hopeful more will come when they feel called and are able to attend. 

“Working on our inner space and fulfillment through conversation is definitely a goal. I think it’s a beautiful thing [for] our local community. There’s a lot of fear in our climate, for a lot of valid reasons. There is a lot of disruption and contrast even within the community. To provide opportunities to connect with ourselves and people from different generations, backgrounds and  belief systems is awesome, meaningful and fulfilling,” Leitzke concluded. 

The Art of Conversations takes place at the Carbondale Library every first Sunday of the month from 6 to 7:30pm. For more information on coach Leitzke, visit www.kylejasonleitzke.com